Opening Like a Flower, 2015

I want to sit wide open

Air it all out.

Sing songs out of key.

Talk to insects.

Bake naked in the sun.

Instead
I'm expected to 

Sit like a lady.

Smile

Be a good listener.

My room is airy and light,

Shades of pink and brown

I see puzzles, paints and books

I play music in the dark and light of day

I think about the future.

I stretch, I strum, I sew, I sit

I breath the day in

And breath it out again

I tend to plants and seedlings,

I organize my books.

I dream of love

And friendship

Of homes with land and trees

Of homesteads and big sound systems

Off the grid and closer to the ground.

I dream I hug deeply

Longingly

Losing myself

I am a child again,

Working out all the kinks.

Latchkey Kids, 1977

Three Rides to Remember - Nederland, Colorado 2001

I'm attending Naropa University and living in Nederland, without a car. 

It's beautiful, but it's hard to get around, so I usually hitch.  I can usually get to school in one ride, but it takes three to get home.  One to get to town, one from town to my road and one down my road (which is 12 miles long, but I live at the top end which is a good 3 miles to town).

Buses are limited from town to town and I have the car sick gene so I avoid like the plague.
Uber /Lyft have not been invented yet, so I stick out my thumb a lot.  

Three rides to remember. 

1. An elementary school teacher and her husband pick me up in their van just before dusk.  
I climb in the back with the stacks of books and papers that are piled on the floor. There's no seat so I sit among the books, criss-cross-apple-sauce. The sun is setting and we chit chat as they drive up the winding canyon.

They offer to take me all the way home and I accept.  It's getting even darker and it would take me two more rides to get all the way home.  My mom would not approve of this ride but I really have no other choice. 
The couple drop me in front of my house and wave goodbye.  

2.
The next day a man picks me up at the same spot heading out of town up the mountain.  
He's got a ten gallon hat and a pickup truck to match.  We get to Ned and he stops at the high school, puts the truck in park, and looks over at me.  He says he has a teacher's meeting (another teacher).
I kind of panic as now I have to get out and get another ride but he leans over as he gets out of the truck and hands me the keys.  "Drive yourself home" he says.  "I know your house on Magnolia, I'll have a buddy give me a ride after the meeting to pick it up." 

I'm speechless.  I sit there for a moment with my mouth open, then slide over and pull the buckle over my lap.
When I go out to hitch to school the next day I notice the the truck is gone.

3. It only takes is one ride to spoil the fun.   
It's Mother’s Day and I’m in front of my house, waiting for a car to pass in any direction.  My teacher is having a required pot luck at her house.  I couldn't get out of it, so I after30 minutes of standing there I walk east and head towards Cole Creek Canyon Road.  It's not that far to town on this end of Magnolia, maybe 3 miles at most.  
I reach the main road and walk through town.  When I get to the far end and onto the highway entrance, I put out my thumb.  After twenty minutes an old man in a tiny pickup with a campers hell pulls up.  
I'm so excited to get a ride, I forget to survey the scene.  Instead, I jumped in like a cat off hot pavement.  
The man looks me over and pulls out into the road.  He's got white hair and a wiry beard the same color.  
A dirty hung over Santa Claus with a mean disposition.  His clothes are rumpled and his jean blazer is torn.  
He looks over at me again as he takes a long drink off a straw from the 3 liter cup between his legs.  
The canyon is deserted.  No cars pass us as we descend down the canyon.  A river rolls to our right about 50 feet down the roads edge and a rock wall chaperones the other side of the road - no where to go, nowhere to be.

I asked the man if he is having a good day.  He rumbles something about being locked up all night at the casino jail.  He rambles on about his mistreatment and injustice and takes another sip of the long straw between his legs. 

I try to think of something to say change the mood. 

"Did you call your mother today?  I ask the man.  

"She has a restraining order against me, I need to stretch my legs!"  
He jerks the wheel to the right and pulls to the side of the road.

As we slow down I can begin to hear the river crashing 50 feet below. 
I unbuckle my belt and open the door while the truck is still rolling to a halt. 

I jump out and run a little with the truck, then behind it calling, 'Sorry dude, I gotta go!'

I get to the road's edge and jerk my thumb high into the air.

A sedan passes seconds after I do this.   They stop. 


I see a woman’s profile in the passenger side window as I open the back door and slide in, wasting no time.  
Thank you for stopping',  I say.  I relax on the soft leather and wish them both a Happy Mother's Day.
It's a son and his mother driving to the airport, all smiles.

Hitching in West Marin, 96 - 98

I speed down the Bolinas-Fairfax Road, too fast to stop.   I sit up at times, testing my balance.  The wind feels good.  It's too hot today, even in-between the trees.

When I reach the far end of town, I discover I have a flat.  I lock my bike up to the post and walk towards the main drag.  I'm running a little late for my job interview. 

I face traffic, smile, and stick out my thumb. 

The first car stops.  It’s a man in his late 20's with a little girl in the back seat.  He's got the top down and the little girl is free to jump about.  She's about four and has big eyes and mousy brown hair.  I'm curious to know her story.  My destination is only a few miles out of town.  I feel a shiver sitting next to him.  It crosses my mind that he may not stop to let me out.  He does.  I couldn't be more relieved.

I open the door and step onto the curb. As I'm closing the door I get a sinking feeling about the little girl, but I'm young and in a hurry so I don't take note of anything other than the blank stare she gives me as he screech off.  

After the interview I decide it is too hot to walk back to town and try my luck again. Two middle-aged men stop to offer me a ride in the back seat of their BMW.  I walk down the length of the car and peer inside.  The passenger motions for me to get in the back.  I pause. 
He slides the automatic window down but does not turn his head to my eye contact.  I say, "where ya headed?" though I’ve already made up my mind.
I walk the two miles back to town and decide right then and there, no back seats, and no automatic windows. 

I'm waiting for the bus but now I'm hooked -- I walk across the depot and put my thumb closer to the sky.  A car rolls up, I look in and see a clutter of empty coke cans filling the passenger side floor and seat.  I shake my head no and step back onto the curb.  He makes for the freeway entrance and is soon out of sight.

In general, most people are hesitant to pick me up.
It’s early morning and I’m standing at the Fairfax - San Anselmo hub.  

My friend Louise walks past and stops to chat.   Louise yells, "pick her up" to the passing cars who do a California Stop to avoid eye contact.

Finally,  a businessman reaches across and push opens his passenger-side door.  I jump in and wave to Louise. The car smells familiar and I can see a little billow of smoke leaking from the ashtray.   Business people get high on their way to work?!  No wonder no one is picking me up.  8:20 is the new 4:20 and probably the only time they get to be alone in the day. 

The next morning I'm heading out toward the valley and a woman picks me up with three children in the car.  It’s her first time picking up a hitchhiker
and she implores me to hitch safely. When she drops me off just outside of town, she gives me her phone number and invites me to come by her house the following week.  Another job!
I’m stoked. 

Ginger Root Hair Oil

Today I spent most of the day catching up on homework and writing papers that are due in the coming weeks. One paper in particular was for my Herbal Preparations Class next weekend. Our professor gave us the assignment of preparing a household item or two out of Chinese/Western herbs.

Since I've been trying to grow my hair out, I've been paying a lot of attention to keeping my hair healthy and at the same time I am on a strict college-student budget which doesn't allow for the occasional expensive products here and there. 
While we typically turn to our herb gardens to embellish a salad or a savory sauce, herbs can do wonders for the hair, face, and skin.
Herbs contain chemical compounds that can help restore the hair's natural balance and shine. Specific herbs target particular problems.
Chamomile, promotes hair growth while Burdock Root reduces hair loss. Ginger Root strengthens hair and stimulates growth while Sesame Oil gives hair shine and body. The following recipe is for Ginger Root Hair Oil Treatment, enjoy~

Gan Jiang (Ginger Root) Hair Oil~
For this oil, you will need two teaspoons of grated fresh Gan Jiang (ginger root) and ¼ cup Hei Zi Ma Oil, (Organic Black Sesame Oil). (You may use regular Organic Sesame Oil if Black Sesame Oil is not available.) This ginger hair oil treatment stimulates hair growth while alleviating dandruff and boosting the scalp’s circulation, so it is good for men or woman alike. It will leave your hair smelling faintly of ginger, a very pleasing scent. Place the grated ginger inside a piece of cheesecloth, or a thin clean cloth/old tee-shirt, (may get stained yellow, so some piece of cloth that you wont mind staining) and gently squeeze 1/2 teaspoon of the juice into the sesame oil. Mix the oil and juice together with a wooden spoon or chopstick until blended thoroughly. Massage the oil into your scalp and leave on for twenty minutes before shampooing, ( you may have to shampoo twice to get all of the Sesame Oil smell out of the hair. I have medium length hair, so I made a hot bath, wet my hair, combed it smooth and flipped the bottom ends of my hair so that they were on my scalp. I then tilted my head back and slowly poured the mixture on my ends and scalp. I massaged it into my scalp to really give my scalp a good soak, then I combed thru it to make sure the mixture reached every follicle.

I really enjoyed this exercise. It has inspired me to look further into the making of my own health and beauty products. Especially since I may have to look no further than my refrigerator. Saving money in times like these is important and much more easy when we do a little herbal mixing in our own kitchens.

On a side note, other uses for Gan Jiang (Ginger root) are:
muscle aches and strains from exercise, motion sickness, morning sickness, upset stomachs, colds, flu, indigestion, migraines, menstrual cramps, headaches, cough, chest congestion, and sexual potency in (wo)men :)